Peru's president Dina Boluarte has suspended gold mining for 30 days and imposed a 12-hour curfew in the northern province of Pataz after 13 contracted gold mine workers were found killed inside a tunnel. The workers, employed by a local firm, were discovered by police after reportedly being held captive and tortured for over a week. Video footage allegedly shows the captors shooting the miners at close range, the Guardian reports. The government said the armed forces will take control of the area, but offered few details on how the mining suspension would be enforced.
The BBC reports that the workers were kidnapped by a gang after they were sent to confront illegal gold miners in the area. Boluarte's move comes amid criticism over what some call a slow and insufficient government response to rising violence, tied to illegal mining operations in the country's gold-rich regions. Illegal mining has surged across Peru, driven by soaring international gold prices, currently around $3,500 per ounce. Criminal activity linked to the trade is also on the rise: Peru's homicide rate jumped nearly 36% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Authorities say illegal mining is now Peru's most profitable criminal enterprise, accounting for 60% of all laundered assets in the country over the last decade. Areas like La Libertad, home to the La Poderosa mine, where the workers were killed, have been under a state of emergency for more than two years due to persistent violence. The La Poderosa Mining company said miners' deaths bring the number of workers killed by gangs in Pataz to 39. "The spiral of uncontrolled violence in Pataz is occurring despite the declaration of a state of emergency and the presence of a large police contingent which, unfortunately, has not been able to halt the deterioration of security conditions in the area," the company said. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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